FINAL SECONDS
Tragic final moments of American Airlines flight revealed in chilling audio before chopper crash as dozens feared dead
Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications
CHILLING audio has revealed the tragic final moments of an American Airlines flight before it crashed with a chopper.
The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet en route from Wichita, Kansas, was on approach to land at Ronald Reagan Airport on Wednesday night.
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The American Airlines regional passenger jet and US Army Black Hawk helicopter then crashed into the Potomac River.
American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were aboard the jet: 60 passengers and four crew members.
Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training flight, a US official said.
CBS News had reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered, citing a police official.
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Two sources told Reuters multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.
Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk show that the helicopter crew were aware that the plane was nearby vicinity.
Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications with the helicopter, callsign PAT25, before it collides with the plane, described as CRJ.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller says at 8.47pm, according to a recording on liveatc.net.
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Seconds later, another aircraft calls in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" - apparently referring to the crash.
An air traffic controller then redirects planes heading to runway 33 to go around.
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A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center in Washington showed an explosion mid-air across the Potomac about 8.47pm with an aircraft in flames falling rapidly.
PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, according to the FAA.
"We're cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement.
Dozens of police, ambulance and rescue units, some ferrying boats, staged along the river and raced to positions along the tarmac of Reagan airport.
Crash could have been prevented, Trump says
PRESIDENT Donald Trump said the American Airlines plane that crashed in Washington DC was on "a perfect approach".
Posting on Truth Social, he said: "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport.
"The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.
"It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
"Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
Live TV images showed several boats in the water, flashing blue and red lights.
Relatives gathered at the airport said they were getting little to no information from officials about the incident.
They added that they were hearing more about the incident from news reports.
One woman told an airport official, "I don't know if she got on there or not," in apparent reference to a passenger on the crashed jet and then collapsed in tears.
The Pentagon said it was launching an immediate investigation into the incident.
President Donald Trump appeared to blame it on the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers in a post on Truth Social.
He wrote: "The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.
"It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
"Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, emphasized at the same news conference that first responders were in "rescue mode."
Washington, DC, fire chief John Donnelly said at the news conference that at least 300 first responders were continuing to work on the "highly complex" rescue operation.
"Conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders," Donnelly said.
"It's cold. They're dealing with windy conditions."
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Asked by reporters whether there were any survivors, he responded that "we don't know yet."
Airports authority CEO Potter said the airport would remain closed until at least 11 a.m. on Thursday.
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